In 2023, a collection of articles by Andrzej Werblan, entitled “Truth and Realism” devoted to the fresh past of Poland after 1939, was published in the publication of the Oratio Recta Foundation. In 2025, the same publishing home published under the editorial board of Paweł Dybicz a paper entitled “Polska Ludowa. actual History’.
Today, I'm going to take care of this book A. I'm going to make a separate article. “Popular Poland...” is simply a collection of articles by 7 authors, preceded by the introduction of the editor Dybic. In the form of an annex, fragments of the diary from 1989-2016 were first published. Andrzej Walicki, winner of the Italian Eugenia Balzan Prize (called the Nobel Prize in Humanities), a scientist who in today's III of Poland is ignored in silence.
As always with a set of articles, we are dealing with better and worse publications, but the full is very interesting. The authors showed in it the achievements of the Polish People's Republic, comparing it with achievements of both the II and III Republics. From the work emerges an unmistakable image of the past of the People's Poland, which was an immanent part of the full past of Poland.
The authors consider the transformation of Poland from agricultural country to industrial country, the improvement of education and wellness services, the dynamic improvement of housing as the most crucial merit of the PRL. It is the staff educated in the Polish People's Republic that are presently building the III Polish Republic. Benefits in nature specified as work holidays, free kindergartens, canteens in schools, a cultural centre, public libraries, or sports facilities were besides expanded.
Publicists besides point out that, contrary to popular opinion, decisions concerning Poland, which fell into Yalta and Potsdam in 1945, are more favourable than the 1919 Versailles. Poland has become a unitary country, moved to the West towards the centre of Europe. Today, however, a return to the "Jagiellono idea" and an active east policy has emerged in the country, which has brought so much misery in the future.
According to authors, attempts to discredit the Polish People's Republic of Poland present are aimed, among another things, at diverting attention from failures of the 3rd Republic and degradation of large parts of the country. In the People's Republic of Poland, industrial plants were tried to be deployed evenly in the country, thus blurring differences between Poland A and B. present we are dealing with a restaurant of these differences.
The success of the 3rd Republic, as indicated in the book of publicists, is mostly not due to the increase in industrial production, but to credit activity and publishing policy, both national and EU measures. It besides ignores the fact that the fast economical improvement of fresh years was due to a 20% decrease in GDP at the beginning of the transformation, so the percentages of growth are derived from a lower base.
The degradation of the native manufacture is evidenced by the fact that current employment in this area of the economy is approaching the 1950 level, the first six-year plan period. It is peculiarly dangerous that abroad companies are liable for 70% of exports today, which, after all, can decision to areas that offer better conditions for the economy. The disappearance of Polish method thought is besides a dangerous trend. All the counting investments are implemented on the basis of the know-how of abroad companies, and in the Polish People's Republic we had technologies, although little modern, but own.
Very interesting is the article Andrzej Karpiński "Looking at Earth Recovered – 80th anniversary account" is simply a fragment of the publication "Alarm for Earth Recovered Experiences of the Eighty Years 1945-2025" prepared for printing. Karpiński compares the socio-economic situation of Western lands, both with the situation prevailing on these lands before 1939 and the current one. Against this background, the PRL balance sheet is very positive. As compared to the pre-WWII situation, there was a population increase of about 1.2 million, an increase in the population of the city and an increase in the industrial population. Unfortunately, in the III of Poland we are dealing with a regression of all these factors. The decline in industrial possible is greater than in another Polish lands. Today, according to the author, there are many villages and towns where there is no longer a child. It is very interesting that Karpiński analyses the position of 6 voivodships on the Recovered Lands in relation to the positions occupied by these lands within Germany. The author showed which voivodships have comparatively gained and which have lost.
In the book we can besides find an interesting analysis of the past of Solidarity, which from the initially mass movement, later the organization creating political parties and governments, present fell to the construction of 1 political organization (PiS). Unfortunately, she brought to the 3rd Polish Republic the phobias that her activists then acquired, specified as suspicion, obsession with peculiar services, and so chaotic mirroring, or dislike of political compromises.
Robert Walenciak in the article “From negation to governance – a look at Solidarity” he correctly notes that the disdain by Solidarity of the People's Poland is simply a calculus of behaviours of people from KPP who in the early period of the Polish People's Republic of Poland grossed II of Poland. The author besides notes that Solidarity has besides corrupted media and historians. alternatively of censorship, political correctness appeared and independent researchers and publicists were marginalized. alternatively of becoming independent, the media became political organization buildings. We have platformer media, writing media, Catholic media, but we do not have crucial independent media. In the main media, only bad things can be said about PRL. Of course, this monopoly breaks “Myśl Polska” and the dynamically developing net media.
In the article “Black gap Polish People's Republic in the Historical Politics of the 3rd Republic of Poland” our erstwhile publicist Bohdan Friday He exposes, among others, the story of the anti-communist uprising that supposedly lasted from 1944 to 1963. The author correctly notes that the underground was a movement devoid of central management, commanded by low-ranking, frequently self-proclaimed officers, not having the support of any political organization or London government, and after the amnesty of 1947 it was completely marginalized.
The last part of the work is, as I mentioned, fragments of Andrzej Walicki's journal. It is worth to quote a passage from the evidence dated 30 June 2001:
"Solidarity I do not love because:
* Oh, my God * It was a naive, primitive movement at all times, not able to separate reality from swarms, nor to decently admit its own interests;
* The initially "socialistic vulgarity" movement, super-proprietary not taking into account the state and national interest, only "we-they";
* Oh, my God * A confrontational movement, denying the negotiating skills of enabling the opponent to "preservate face" to be completely irresponsible;
* Oh, my God * An irrationally collectivistic movement whose representatives competed against each another for a crowd applause;
* Oh, my God * Then the passive movement towards the process of taking distant workers' rights, humbled to leaders implementing the policy of “cultiful capitalism";
* God-fathered, clerical, unfeeling of any relation with the good traditions of the labour movement;
* Oh, my God * Stupidly anti-communist, sowing suspicion and hatred, supporting all harmful mirroring and decommunization initiatives."
In another place, the prof. correctly noted that the rulers request the enemy both interior – commies and external – all Russia, especially erstwhile it is successful.
In summary, the reader is given a very interesting work devoted to the past of the People's Poland, showing that this Poland was neither better nor worse than its predecessor and the successor in the form of the III Polish Republic.
Jacek Marczyński
"Polska Ludowa. actual History" (under the editorial board of Paweł Dybicz), Wydawnictwo Fundacja Oratio Recta, Warszawa 2025 pp. 399.
Think Poland, No. 7-8 (15-22.02.2026)
